11 Illegals Detained after Hunter Compliance Operation
Media Release - DPS 90/2002
Eight unlawful non-citizens and three people working in breach of their visa conditions have been detained following a compliance operation in the Hunter area of New South Wales last week.
Acting on community information, Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) officers visited a number of premises in the Hunter region including Gosford, Wyong, Bateau Bay, Newcastle, The Entrance and Somersby.
The group of eight unlawful non-citizens included one man from Malaysia, one man from Tonga, two men from the Philippines, three Korean men and one Thai woman.
The three working in breach of their visa conditions included one woman from Egypt, one man from Korea and one man from The People's Republic of China.
All 11 were transferred to the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney where arrangements will be made for their departure from Australia, as soon as practicable, as required by law.
In the 2001-02 financial year, the Department located 17,307 overstayers and people breaching visa conditions nationally. The number of locations has increased significantly since 2000-01, when 14,238 overstayers and people breaching visa conditions were located.
DIMIA officers make regular visits to workplaces in many parts of Australia, such as restaurants, farms, shops, offices, factories and brothels, in an effort to detect and locate people who are in the country illegally or who are working illegally. DIMIA may also issue warning notices to employers or labour suppliers who are found to have employed illegal workers.
21 November 2002
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